4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic debut, April 6, 2008
This review is from: Shiloh and Other Stories (Modern Library Paperbacks) (Paperback)
One of the blurbs for Bobbie Ann Mason's writing describes it as being like "type O blood" in that it can be given to anyone. I can't think of a better way to put it. "Shiloh" is a good place to start reading Mason as it was her first collection of short stories, and is a good introduction to her world.
Mason's characters all live in a world that's relatable. The Kentucky of her characters is rapidly changing from its rural past to a world of subdivisions, northerners and industry. As the past rolls away from them, so does their sense of connection.
But it's not just the stories that make Mason notable, it's the way she tells them. When I first read the short story "Shiloh" for a class back in college, I was struck at the present tense and the immediacy of her prose. Many writers since have written in present tense, but few are able to write a story that's as sharp as Mason. Also, I usually don't like the use of similes but Mason's similes are so imaginative that they don't feel overdone.
Some of the stories to pay special attention to in this collection are the title story, "Detroit Skyline 1949," "A New Wave Format" and "Nancy Culpepper." The last story, along with "Lying Doggo" concern the same characters and were reprinted in a collection also entitled "Nancy Culpepper" in 2006, which I also recommend.
I never get tired of reading Mason's stories; the tales of people feeling displaced within their own surroundings are just as relevant in the new century as they were in the last.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a short story master, March 19, 2004
Bobbie Ann Mason is one of the modern masters of the short story, and to see why all you have to do is pick up this collection. The stories all have a melancholy feel and are simple stories of rural Kentucky. They do at times tend to be very similar, so it is best to break this collection up with something else. But reading this shows you the skill Mason has with the short story, and why so many students love her work. I especially loved the touching story "Drawing Names."
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable and wonderful!, October 15, 1999
How can there be no other reviews of this great book? "Shiloh" itself is superb, ranking with "In the Gloaming" and "The Lottery" as one of the three all-time great short stories (in my opinion). A++++
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